Review: Blaze Pizza does not disappoint

As a connoisseur and fan of fine pizzas, I felt that it was my duty to visit Blaze Pizza and share my hot takes.

As my dining partner and I approached one of Des Moines' newest eateries, one of the first things that caught my eye was the patio: On a beautiful day, it adds a nice touch to the dining experience. When we walked in at around noon, there was a long line. However, the staff was pretty efficient, and the line went by quickly — and so did the pizza.

An 11-inch pizza costs about $8 and the pies are cooked in 180 seconds. You read that right —180 seconds, which is three minutes.

We ordered three pizzas.

The first one was the "Meat Eater," which had pepperoni, crumbled meatballs, red onion, mozzarella and red sauce:

The second was the "White Top," which had white cream sauce with mozzarella, applewood bacon, chopped garlic, oregano and arugula:

The third was the "Green Stripe," which had pesto drizzled over grilled chicken, roasted red peppers, chopped garlic, mozzarella and arugula:

Surprisingly, the "Green Stripe" was my favorite. I'm not a huge fan of pesto, but it was a great addition to top off the pizza, and the peppers were so fresh (or at least they tasted that way). I also enjoyed the textures that the arugula and peppers brought to the pizza. The meatballs on the "Meat Eater" were perfectly seasoned. Also, with the "White Top," you would think that a pizza with bacon and and cheese would be pretty oily, but it was anything but. And the white sauce wasn't too heavy on either "Green Stripe" or "White Top." With all three of the pizzas, there was a good ratio of sauce-to-dough.

Outside of the pizza, I really enjoyed Blaze's blood orange lemonade — it's sweet and refreshing. My dining buddy had the prickly pear agua fresca, which was a little too tart for my liking, but she seemed to enjoy it.

Overall, I would definitely recommend the place, especially on a good day so you can sit on the patio. Bon appetit!